Protein Skimmer questions

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becz1234

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
27
Location
Saskatchewan, Canada
I'm a newbie to aquarium keeping, and was never really interested until i saw a saltwater aquarium for the first time. Now I'm planning to start a 55 gallon saltwater tank of my own, and i was wondering about what type(s) of filter i should use. Some people say protein skimmers are necessary for a healthy tank but others dont use them at all. So do I need one? What advantages are there to having a protein skimmer? And would a canister filter work just as well? By the way, my tank will be fowlr for now, but just might add some corals down the road once i'm ready.
 
Protein skimmers work differently then canister filters. Skimmers remove organics from the water that filters don't. and if your planning on corals you should definitely have one.
 
Okay thanks. So if I buy a protein skimmer would i need a different kind of filter too? I want to have a healthy tank but I can't spend too much on filters.
 
sorry were you asking if you need both a protein skimmer and a canister, the answer is yes if your going to keep corals. for now you only need the canister you can add the skimmer later.
 
Canister filters work fine, just load all the compartments with filter floss and maybe some carbon. Make sure you clean it regularly. Also I would recommend getting a 75g tank instead of a 55. They are the same length and height but the 75 is larger from front to back which is a big difference when setting up your rock.
 
kdpuffer said:
Canister filters work fine, just load all the compartments with filter floss and maybe some carbon. Make sure you clean it regularly. Also I would recommend getting a 75g tank instead of a 55. They are the same length and height but the 75 is larger from front to back which is a big difference when setting up your rock.

+1 on the tank size. The 75s are 10x better then the 55s.. gives you more stable parameters due to the extra 25 gallons, more room to aquascape, and more options on livestock yet still taking up the same space for the most part
 
go go 90 same dims as 75 but taller. the lighting isn't THAT much different for them either. if you went to the 110 then you'd have to look as some serious power. also remember 55's are usually tempered so no drilling in the future(which you'll end up wanting to do)
 
I agree on the 75g tank being a better option. :) i have a 90g as well and find it too deep for my liking lol. I think a 75g would be an awesome size though, check it out!
 
Personally I'm not a big fan of the 90...imo its 20L,40b,75,180+ or designer (curved glass/odd shapes) lol
 
Yeah sounds like a 75 gallon would be better for me. But that means I have some more saving to do... What with the extra live rock and all. But I guess this way I'll be good to go for years to come and I won't be wanting to upgrade to a bigger tank. So if i were to get a skimmer for a 75gallon, what brand would you guys recommend for quality and price?
 
Oops.... Accidently pressed send. Anyways, I'm not sure whether they would be good quality or not. Plus the shipping is always expensive to Canada.
 
becz1234 said:
Oops.... Accidently pressed send. Anyways, I'm not sure whether they would be good quality or not. Plus the shipping is always expensive to Canada.

Order from jlaquatics they are in Canada
 
Hold off on the skimmer to start off with. If you are going reef, you will need one, but while you cycle the tank you don't want to run the skimmer anyway. Just hold off until you get the tank and start to cycle. Use that time to research your equipment, like the skimmer. I personally would recommend not using a canister for a reef and go towards a sump setup. This will give you a place for your skimmer to go and the ability to put in a refugium, which will play the roll of your canister. This all gives you an easy way to tun carbon and GFO as well, though I perfer it to be run through reactors to maximize their effectiveness.
 
Skimming during the cycle does not cause any problems. Not sure why think otherwise....
 
I agree, I always run my skimmer as soon as the tank gets setup. Saves time in breaking one in lol
 
Schism said:
Skimming during the cycle does not cause any problems. Not sure why think otherwise....

+1 it doesn't do any harm but during the cycle it isn't needed but can help with algae and diatom blooms.
 
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